Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 8

Do you want a free all inclusive vacation in Spain – for just talking?

Would you believe it – I know a place that does exactly that: in exchange for you talking all day to a bunch of strangers about absolutely anything – you get a great weeks vacation in the countryside with board and lodgings included!

The reason becomes clear when you investigate their reasons – they are an English Language institute, and they want their students to hear real English spoken by real English speakers.

They aren’t all noisy youngsters though – these students are sent on these courses by their workplace or to improve their specialist language skills and learn specific ‘jargon’ related to their industry.

Language Skills:
As long as you are a native English speaker and experienced or qualified in a professional or educational industry – you can apply to ‘work’ on the project.

Basically, your skills in the industry are far more important than your second language teaching skills!

Infact you don’t really need to teach at all – as the program is designed to get you to communicate with the students in all areas of life; eating lunch, group discussions, running events, tours and performances, etc.

You just have to chat to them as you would your usual friends.

However, you have the edge they need in their jobs – so you will be asked to run a workshop or do a short presentation on your main area of expertise to challenge the students into listening to a different set of language parameters.

Whether it is Retail, Industry, Metal Working or Medicine – all is welcome and all is important!

What You Gain:
Firstly a private room in a delightful location in the Spanish coutryside, all meals and some free time and included tours of the area.

Yes, you might have to eat with the students – but you will no doubt learn from them as well as what they gain from you.

You get to improve your people skills, make some friends and also improve your CV.

And you can even take your kids to the group courses – so a holiday for everyone – for free!

And before and after the course, you are welcome to take a vacation of your own. Seeing as you are already in Spain – why not head for the mountains, the coast, or the history – there is plenty of all 3 in Spain!

The House Rules:
The only rule is that you don’t speak a word of Spanish while you are there!

These students (or their companies) have paid for these courses, so that they are completely immersed in the English language – so even speaking simple words of their native tongue can break down their learning.

Even greeting them with an ‘Hola’ can reduce their acceptance of the many ways that English-speakers greet each other. Hello, hi, watcha, alright, oy and hey will all be lost as you try to remember to say Hola to them all.

And once you have said one word in Spanish, you may feel confident to add to it – or more importantly, they may reply in Spanish too – which will be very much frowned upon!

So, if you fancy a challenge – or an interesting week in your longer vacation – then maybe you should look at their website, and see if you fancy giving it a go!

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 16

All animals depend on water for survival – so if you visit when there isn’t much, you can see more!

During the wet season, there is plenty of natural water to go around. Rain falls sometimes for weeks at a time; rivers fill up to their highest levels and neighboring land floods or becomes boggy. Even all the nooks and crannies in rocks and buildings, trees and other plants and even man-made litter like tires, buckets and plastic materials fill up with puddles that can sustain thousands of creatures.

As a result of the widely dispersed water – and the resultant abundance of plants and insect life to keep all these animals alive – they are spread out all over the place. They can eat and drink wherever they want to, so finding them can be a difficult task.

In Drier Times:
Needless to say then, if there is less water – then it will be easier to find the wildlife. They will all have to gather around the same water holes.

It works the same way as all the people you see at the cinema; they all have to go there for the same thing as it isn’t available anywhere else close by, but you don’t get crowds at your local food store – as you can buy bread and milk everywhere!

So, if you are hoping to see some lions, alligators, monkeys or elephants – your best chance is where the water holes are – and when there is less water elsewhere.

Obviously, the animals may not be quite as relaxed near the water in times of drought as when water is plentiful – but it will really add to your whole safari adventure if you actually get to see something!

photo credit: Rainbirder

More Crowds:
And in their quest for water, or food, many animals congregate in huge numbers either to trek to new lands or to breed – and this can make for some great viewing!

Large migrations of animals is one of the greatest natural spectacles on the planet!

Just think of the million wildebeests in June marching across the Masai Mara – with 500,000 gazelles and 200,000 zebras in tow! And the hundreds of crocodiles waiting in the rivers to eat them!

How about 120,000 elephants all wading in the Chombe in September – or the thousands or buffalo and lions that are thirsty too!

Not to mention the hundreds or different birds species migrating north to south, east to west or even over the Himalaya! All in search of better eating and drinking!

So before you head on your ultimate wildlife vacation – check the weather!

posted by Travel Cat on Dec 7

It’s not difficult these days to find a job in the location of your dreams!

Why continue working in a job you don’t really like – waiting for those few weeks off you get each year!  Why not look at getting a job you do like in a place that you can only dream of?

There are a whole host of jobs out there that include accommodation – but are on the other side of the world!

Whatever you fancy taking a stab at – whether professionally or just for the fun of it – I’m sure there is somewhere out there which could cater for it!

And the great thing about these types of jobs is that they are often on a set timescale without appraisals or 4 weeks notice - so you don’t need to work overboard on these things – unless you want to of course!  You just have to give it your best for the length of the season or chosen timescale – and then you know you can head back home – or on to another job!

Skiing In Canada:
Why not consider a whole season out in the Rockies as a gap year from uni?  Imagine the experience you could gain from running a resort, catering for thousands or managing a ski course for kids….  The choices are endless – and of course they come with all your bills and food on top of a great snow chalet in the mountains! 

Orchid Tours In Guatemala:
Why not settle down for some botanical beauty and work in an exotic flower garden?  Not only will you learn all about some amazing native plantlife – you will be working outside in the sunshine – and no doubt see plenty of hummingbirds and butterflies all in a days work!

Teaching In China:
There are always vacancies for willing workers to teach English to school children around the world – but in China you could end up working for a specialist business or medical speaker.  You can get very handsomely paid to teach the medical terms, business jargon or technology data to a degree level or professional qualification standard.  They don’t want to know the translation for ’where is the bus station?’ they need things like: ‘…that differentiate after gastrulation into mesothelium, endothelium, and myocardium’!

Singing On A Cruise Ship!
I know it sounds a bit ‘cliche’ but there are hundreds of jobs on boats out there – and they don’t all include singing.  All skills from catering, hospitality, retail, dry cleaning, casinos and much more – all on board a lovely boat – with cabin and food included.  Just imagine the places you could end up visiting!

And, Running An Eco B&B In Africa
So, you think you can handle giraffes eating your trees and crocodiles swimming in your pool? As well as the guests?  Well, you will certainly need some managerial experience and maybe the grasp of a second language to win this job – but I’m sure it beats working in a shoe shop!

As you can see, there is a huge variety of seasonal jobs out there just waiting for you to apply!  You just need to get-up-and-go in the first place – or maybe you want to save your company some money over the quieter winter months and fancy a change of scenery.

Knowing that you are only away for 3 months – or some other set period of time – and knowing that you still have your old job to come back to could make the whole experience even more rewarding!

So, what are you waiting for?

posted by Travel Cat on Nov 2

Take care when playing in water – either home or abroad!

There are some nasty things you can get from infected water, from dysentery to cholera, internal parasites and bacterial infections and on to more serious diseases like Typhoid, Leptospirosis and Hepatitis.

So, why would you take the risk by swimming in unknown waters without having checked out the risks first?

Different countries have different risks – so make sure you research your location if it is a adventure vacation you are after.  I mean everyone has heard of the ‘fish that swims towards urine’ and ‘the worm that burrows into your leg’ in travel horror stories – but do you know that you can still catch fatal infections at home too?

So lets looks at how to make your trip safer in the first place, or to spot problems early on after coming into contact with something terrible! 

Before You Go:
Obviously check with your governments guidelines before you even book your trip – this way you can see the obvious risks of a location before you spend a penny.

I mean do you want to book a trip to Country A with 5 known endemic water-borne diseases – or Country B with just 1?  I know it’s not all that simple, but you can certainly avoid things like malaria and Yellow fever this way.

Then after choosing a destination, make sure you know the area you are traveling to as well as you can – check information and guidebooks that you trust on the specific area you are heading too; like the cleanest rivers, wet season stats and difficulty ratings for what you are planning.

Once you are onsite, you need to make sure that your equipment is safe and that you feel confident on the day.  Skin damage (cuts and scrapes) and swallowing water are the 2 biggest risk factors when in the water – so by making sure the conditions are right and your boat/paddles/harnesses/etc isn’t faulty, you will greatly reduce your chances of falling in the water or cutting yourself on rocks or gravel.

When There:
Obviously if you do have a cut or open wound – no matter how small – make sure that you cover it completely with a water-proof plaster.  This is a perfect site for bacteria or parasites to enter your body through – although some can burrow through your normal skin too!

So, on leaving the river make sure that you rinse yourself off thoroughly with clean water – and don’t sit around wet from a river fall as you are leaving yourself open to risks.

Obviously different rivers – and parts of rivers – have different risks, but you should know the difference on site.  For example, white water is ‘fresher’ and fast-moving so will be likely to hold less of a risk than a slow-moving body of water.  Rivers downstream of rural settlements may contain human waste or have a higher number or ‘local’ parasites, and downstream of cities and factories could contain just about anything!

Stagnant water is the worst – especially in the season where endemic parasites are at the worst.  The lifecycle of many will be tied to the weather – and by going outside of that time you are less likely to come in contact with them!

After The Event:
You should be at a low risk anyway having prepared so well in advance, but by knowing the symptoms of water-borne infections and diseases could mean the difference between life and death!

Looking out for ‘flu-like’ symptoms or loose stools might seem a bit foolish – but if you have been exposed to river-water in the past few weeks – you might want to get it checked out!  Other signs include rashes, headaches, vomiting, confusion, muscle aches  and weight loss – but these are more likely to be noted.

There are risks abroad even if you don’t take to the water – but play it safe and you should come home in one piece!

posted by Travel Cat on Oct 1

We only get a limited vacation time – so don’t waste it getting lost!

When you are planning a weekend get-a-way or a short road trip – make sure you know where you are going in advance otherwise you could end up eating in to your vacation time sitting in traffic or lost somewhere down a country lane or in a town with nothing to see!

All the while you are lost – your vacation time is ticking away – and if you only had an hour to see that historic landmark, amazing canyon or dinosaur sculpture, you could now be wiping that off your ‘to do’ lost while you wait for that tractor to pull over, or while you sit in a layby planning an alternative route to get back to where you were in the first place!

A Wrong Turning:
If you take something as simple as a wrong turning off a major road – you could be in for at least a 30 minute diversion.

Basically – for ease of driving and for safety – many freeway junctions flow right off into the next freeway.  They don’t have round-a-bouts or junctions in place where you could turn around.  Therefore you might need to follow this new road for a few kilometers before you get to another junction to head back to where you started.

And you need to hope that this next junction doesn’t lead straight onto another freeway – otherwise you miss that landmark you had planned!

Low On Fuel:
By allowing yourself to get low on fuel – you are just asking for trouble.  Gas stations aren’t always shown on maps – and sometimes you need to go look for 1.

Needless to say, you will end up wasting time and fuel looking for more fuel – and could end up driving through residential areas in the hope of spotting a big store with gas station attached. 

This all adds up into stopping and starting – speed restrictions and other time wasters: no doubt after fuelling up you all decide to stop at the store for a bathroom stop and for some food.  Adding on more and more time while you take it in turns to go in rather than leave the car unattended with all your belongings in it!

Now you can’t go see that amazing canyon either!

Road Block:
If you haven’t looked at a map before you leave – or haven’t checked for ongoing roadworks – then you could be about to hit trouble!

Not knowing alternate routes – or a general idea of the towns you are passing through, then a road closure can really mess up your journey.

Rather than just guess which way to go though – it will save you a whole bunch of time if you pull over as soon as you can (which may be some time if all the other 1000 cars on the same road as you are funneling off at the same junction) and check your map.

Don’t get tricked into following the general gist of all the other traffic as their destination may well be the opposite way from yours – and so you could follow them home instead of arriving at your hotel!

There goes your visit to the dinosaur sculpture too!

The Solution:
Plan ahead – and even sort of plan for diversions along the way.  Check ahead for major problems and save yourself not only a whole lot of time, but also a whole lot of stress!